Tyson Gay will miss out on a clash with Usain Bolt at this year’s World Championships after pulling out of the US National trials with a hip injury.Gay, 28, withdrew before his 100m semi-final and missed Saturday’s 200m, meaning he would not be eligible for the sprints in Daegu, South Korea.He could still run in the 4x100m relay at the event which begins on 27 August.Former Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin is set to return for the US after a four-year drug ban.Gay, who has run the fastest 100m in the world this year of 9.79 seconds, had been expected to be one of the main challengers to Jamaican world record-holder Bolt in the 100m in South Korea.His US record of 9.69sec makes him the second-fastest man in history behind Bolt, who holds the world record of 9.58sec, and he beat the injury-affected Olympic champion in Stockholm last year.
Gay had qualified from his heat in a wind-assisted 10.01 seconds, second behind Ivory Williams and third fastest overall, but withdrew before the semi-final citing a recurrence of a problem in his right hip and adductor.”I’ve been bandaging it up, couldn’t really take anymore,” Gay said. “I decided to stay healthy. It’s pretty painful running in pain.”The race was again won by Williams, who was then disqualified from the final as Walter Dix won in 9.94sec.Gatlin, the disgraced 2004 Olympic champion, finished just one hundredth of a second behind in second with Michael Rodgers third to complete the US trio for the World Championships.Gay could still be part of the 4x100m relay team if he recovered in time, USA Track and Field (USATF) officials said.
“But he has to be able to show fitness and be able to run,” said USATF President Stephanie Hightower.”It is a big blow,” said Dix of Gay’s potential loss to the relay squad. “Tyson at his best is one of the top runners in the world. We’re going to have to step up.”Gay has been plagued by injuries since winning the 100m and 200m world titles in Osaka in 2007.In 2008, he was injured during the 200m at the US Olympic trials and later that year failed to make the 100m final at the Beijing Games.
The following year, he pulled out of the 200m after taking 100m silver behind Bolt when he set his world record at the World Championships in Berlin.Former world record holder Asafa Powell edged out Bolt’s training partner Yohan Blake to win the Jamaican 100m trials for the World Championships.Powell clocked a winning time of 10.08 seconds into a headwind and was joined by Blake (10.09) and Steve Mullings (10.10) in claiming berths for Daegu.World record holder Bolt did not compete in the trials because he has a wildcard bye as the defending champion in both the 100m and 200m. – BBC
